Sendo Sues Orange over SPV Circuit Board

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.forbes.com/markets/newswire/2003/06/05/rtr991667.html' target='_blank'>http://www.forbes.com/markets/newsw.../rtr991667.html</a><br /><br /></div>"Britain's mobile phone maker Sendo said on Thursday it had initiated legal proceedings in the British High Court of Justice against French mobile carrier Orange over the design of a mobile phone. "The legal action has been taken because Sendo believes that the Orange SPV smartphone infringes a patent granted to Sendo relating to the design of the circuit board within the phone," Sendo said in a statement."<br /><br />Looks like Sendo is on a rampage! There's a <a href="http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/newsdisplay2.php?id=13474">bit more info here</a>, but what I find consistently funny is that when Sendo was Microsoft's only Smartphone partner, everyone was laughing, saying "Sendo isn't a player, they're nothing", yet after Sendo and Microsoft start scrapping, suddenly Sendo is an "experienced" company that's a major player. Crazy! :roll:

[JMountford]

What I find odd is that HTC actually Manufactures and, I was under the impression designed the SPV and it's components. Isn't Sendo suing the wrong company?

[PJE]

At least this claim is about something tangable (PCB design). Some of the other patent cases recently RIM/Etc... are over products that violate patents from companies who haven't bothered to develop anything just patent it in case it leads to somthing...

Sendo got stung by lengthy smartphone development - and their initial product was overtaken (or reasons to be determined) before it was launched.

I also find it amusing that Sendo is refered to as an experienced company, as compared to most in the mobile phone industry Nokia/SonyEricson/Motorola/Samsung/etc they are inexperienced.

My 2c

[denivan]

One of Sendo's greatest assets at the moment is the experience they have in designing and implementing smartphones. Although they haven't released one yet, the company probably has as much, if not more experience than anyone else

This sentence is just so cool, I wish I could pull the same trick on my resumé ... "Well yeah, I haven't released a commercial application yet, but all my friends consider me as one the most experienced coders " :roll:

[PlayAgain?]

I remember how bfore the Z100 was released, people here were saying that it was going to be 'off the scale' and now that Sendo has bailed out, it (the Z100) was a rubbish phone all the time.

If I was Sendo, I'd just try and move on with the advanced OS that it has, especially since it has licensed not only the underlying OS but Nokia's Series60 which is a far better and suitable OS for smartphones (and I know because I'm currently using as SPV and the things missing from it make it a fundamentally poor device).

Suing everybody in sight is not the way to go, IMHO. So come on Sendo, just get on with making phones before you go bust trying to make a quick buck through the courts.

[heov]

i think sendo's bailing on MS hurt MS pretty bad... we STILL haven't seen a smartphone 2k2 in the US yet and it's mid 2k3. me thinks ms smartphone will eventually fade out; or it'll be a LONG while before it hits the US.

i was actually looking forward to it too; i'd really like a phone w/ smartphone2k2 capabilities, but i have a feeling we're not going to see one here. too bad.


btw, there's nothing wrong with this lawsuit, if they actually hold the patent to such a design, they should be receiving royalty fees. as mentioned above, PCB designs aren't like thumboards where if they're circular they infrenging on someone's patents :roll: i too wonder why they're suing orange...

[krisbrown]

Yes, seems strange they haven't reached the States yet, they are practically giving them away in UK, they are allready on free upgrade.

And that includes full pack, camera, connectivity suite, cables the lot.

Mines in ther states right now, my ma's using it cos it's tri-band, Orange backed down on taking it back so I'm stuck with it.

BUT I'm going to give it a second chance when it get's back, now if I could just load Symbian on it :wink:

[koriel]

Wonder if they want somebody to buy them? They are hurting financially (after all, they should have been in business a year ago) and both Orange and Microsoft have lots of the folding green stuff, and it would end the court cases ....

Just idle speculation, not necessarily anything in it.